Sneakers and sandals are both popular types of shoes, and both, but in particular the sandal, are frequently worn during warm weather. Each type of footwear has certain unique and desirable features with respect to the other, but each also has certain drawbacks. For example, sneakers tend to be relatively heavy, especially as compared to a sandal, and can be hot to wear, which may lead to sweaty feet and odors. Sneakers are also more difficult and take more time to get on and off than a sandal. Sneakers tend to cramp or restrict the forefoot and toes, as well as the midsection and top tendon of the foot, rather than being open like a sandal.
Sandals, however, despite their advantages, tend to offer little support for the foot and little padding to add comfort. Sandals, because of their openness, are prone to getting stones, sand, debris, and the like under the foot. Sandals also offer less protection for the foot than a sneaker.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a hybrid shoe for warm weather that overcomes the respective disadvantages of the sneaker and the sandal, while incorporating the respective desirable features of each.
There is also a need in the art for shoes of any type, not just warm weather shoes, that are true slip-on/slip-off shoes. Many shoes that purport to be slip-on shoes still require assistance from the wearer in the form of sliding a shoehorn or finger behind the user's heel, or, in the absence of using a finger or some type of shoehorn, the back of the shoe buckles under the heel of the user's foot, requiring the user to then insert a finger to correct the bucked portion of the shoe. Slipping off the same shoes may require stepping on the back heel of the shoe while forcefully pulling the foot out, or using a hand to pry the user's foot out of the shoe. The need to use such force is often frustrating to the wearer, and sometimes damaging to the shoe. It is therefore desirable to provide a shoe with features that allow it to slip on and off easier than the so-called “slip-on” shoes known in the art.